


Lucky Charm

by scatteringmyashes



Series: Sylvix Week 2019 [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Soulmates, Sylvix Week (Fire Emblem)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 08:43:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21033461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatteringmyashes/pseuds/scatteringmyashes
Summary: Sylvain has a few problems. He's certain that the hot barista at the local coffee shop is his soulmate. He's pretty sure that there's a group of vampire hunters in the area. And there's a lot of vampires in the area, which means he needs to move - and soon.But hey, at least he can still drink coffee. Being a vampire isn't that bad.****Sylvix Day Two: Coffee Shop, Soulmates, Dreams





	Lucky Charm

**Author's Note:**

> Day two of Sylvix week! 
> 
> This one is a multichap, but I wanted to get the first part up for everyone to enjoy. 
> 
> Keep an eye out for day five and seven, which are the next days I'm doing~ 
> 
> Enjoy!

The modern era was a good look for Sylvain. He was a big fan of the lack of plague, the less frequent wars and mass destruction, and portable music was a big plus. Besides, sunglasses? Absolutely life-changing. And though he couldn't really taste it, coffee had also come leaps and bounds from when it was boiled water on a campfire in the middle of the woods while hoping wolves didn't attack that night. 

Yeah, that was a big plus. 

So he wasn't at all hesitant when one of his students — because even an immortal vampire had to pay the bills and teaching history was the easiest when you lived through it all — suggested they meet at a coffee shop in order to discuss her thesis.

Sylvain was the one to come up with the location. _The Night Owl_ wasn't the kind of place Sylvain would ever have gone to himself, but it was cute in a hipster way. And it had come on the recommendation of someone he knew quite well, though he wasn't sure what use he'd get out of it. 

He was right on time, which meant he waited a few minutes for his advisee to arrive, but he didn't mind. They made small talk in line, Sylvain absentmindedly playing with one of the rings on his fingers. 

"Hey, I'll pay," Sylvain said when they got to the register. His student thanked him profusely, since the nicest thing anyone could do for a college student was buy them nice coffee, before heading over to grab a table. 

The barista looked like one of the university students, but Sylvain didn't recognize the name Ashe from any of his classes, so he didn't say anything as he paid. He stuffed a few dollars into the tip jar, earning himself a thankful smile. After, Sylvain stood at the side of the counter to wait for the coffee. He played with his phone a bit, not really paying attention until — 

"Sylvain?" Someone called out. Sylvain looked up and smiled at the barista who held out his coffee. _Cute_, Sylvain thought. Glasses were a good look, especially on guys with eyes like the sun. "Here you go." 

Their fingers brushed together and Sylvain felt a shiver go up his spine. The pendant around his neck felt heavier than usual. His hair was different than last time — dark and pulled up into a neat bun — as was his face, but Sylvain could have recognized those eyes anywhere. 

"Sorry, do you need something else?" The stranger asked. He looked more confused than offended, thankfully. 

Sylvain bit his tongue. It was the only way to stop himself from saying, _I think you're my soulmate._

Instead, he shook his head. "Thanks, though. Didn't realize that the coffee and the baristas were hot — I'll have to come here more often." 

The stranger — _Felix_ according to his name tag — blushed but he didn't look flattered. His eyebrows furrowed as he narrowed his eyes. Sylvain decided a cheeky grin and a quick exit were the best choices. 

"Here you go," he told his student as he sat down, setting her coffee in front of her. "So, your thesis…" 

"Yeah! I think I want to do a project on ancient Faerghus and the use of mercenaries to protect the eastern border, but I'm not sure that I can get enough new material to make it interesting." 

"Well, what makes you think that?" 

The two of them talked for about an hour before parting ways, mostly since she had to go to another class. They had more meetings later that week scheduled but they were in a good place. Admittedly, Sylvain had other things on his mind. Now that his advisee was gone, he didn't mind looking at Felix openly. 

He went to sip at his coffee, trying to be suave, but was surprised when he realized that he had finished it in its entirety. There wasn't a line and there were still a few hours before his next seminar, so he slid up to the counter and got another coffee. 

"You know, I've never been here before," Sylvain told Ashe. "Do you guys ever do an open mic or something?" 

"Yeah! We do an open mic every third Sunday and a lot of the college clubs meet here. You're a professor, right? I feel like I've seen you before." Ashe paused, holding the cup in one hand with his pen poised to write. "Literature?" 

"History." Sylvain grinned. "Can't believe I've never come here before. Are you both students?" 

"Yeah! I'm doing my undergrad in Medieval lit and Felix is getting his masters in polysci." Ashe smiled as he scribbled Sylvain's name on the cup. "Felix likes spicy food, by the way. Indian is his favorite." 

"Well, I'll certainly keep that in mind. Thanks." Sylvain stuffed more into the tip jar to, well, thank Ashe for the tip. 

He got his drink not a minute later, accompanied by a scowl and dark eyes trying to look intimidating but just looking rather perplexed. 

"What do you want?" Felix asked when he handed the drink off. He looked like he'd either combust into flames or leap over the counter and beat the shit out of Sylvain. So, literally the same as every time. 

"Why do you think I want anything?" Sylvain asked, even as his heart — cold and useless and unbeating — ached for Felix. "Maybe I just really like the hot… coffee." 

Felix rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, keep your thoughts to yourself." He turned away to do his job, but there were no other orders so he just grabbed a rag and started wiping off an already clean counter. Sylvain sipped his drink as he went for the exit, but he glanced back out of curiosity. 

He was rewarded for his troubles — Felix had the same idea and the two locked eyes, if only for a moment. Felix blushed a deep red, looking away. He muttered something to Ashe. A normal human couldn't have heard it, but Sylvain could hear the _bathroom, sorry_, from across the room. Without further ado, Felix disappeared into the back. 

Sylvain headed out of the cafe with a coffee in one hand and a smile on his face. Yeah, okay, he could see why she had told him to go there. 

#

The hotel was nice. Okay, that was an understatement. It was the nicest hotel in the city, costing more a night that some people made in a week. This was the kind of place where people with serious _fuck you_ money stayed, which of course meant that Dimitri was staying there. He was one of the oldest vampires than Sylvain knew and, naturally, had more money than anyone probably should have. He was old when Sylvain was still a newblood. 

In short, not the kind of person to mess around with. 

"Nice place. Bit ostentatious for you though, isn't it?" Sylvain asked as he sprawled over the armchair across from Dimitri. The suite wasn't the penthouse, which was probably the only expense spared. There was even an unopened bottle of champagne — the nice stuff — in the center of the dining room table. 

Yes, there was a dining room. Sylvain didn't get it. Why get a nice suite when half of the things were useless? A kitchen looked nice but they didn't eat. A duck feather bed was soft but they didn't sleep. And bottle service was fancy but they didn't drink. 

Well, didn't drink alcohol. 

"It was available on short notice. Are you thirsty?" Dimitri asked. He didn't look like a guy born in the early 1000s. He was missing an eye but, with his hair pulled up and a short-sleeved button up on he could have been any rich college kid. 

Sylvain shrugged. "I could use a bit, if you've got any." 

Dedue didn't even have to be called. He practically materialized next to Dimitri, two already poured wine glasses in his hand. The glasses were tall with thin stems and Dedue handled them with perfect grace. He was like that even _before_, according to Dimitri. Of course, Dimitri was horribly biased in regards to anything to do with his husband. 

Dimitri swirled his drink like one would wine. The liquid was too thick for it to be anything other than blood. "Dedue, help yourself. Pull up a chair. I'm sure that Sylvain didn't come here just to see me." 

"I always like chatting with my favorite Original and my second-favorite vampire," Sylvain confirmed as Dedue sat next to Dimitri. 

"Who's the first?" Dimitri asked. 

"Ingrid, but don't tell her that." Sylvain sipped at his drink. "Oh, this is nice. Where did you get it?" 

"Brought it with us. Car trunk was full of it." Dimitri leaned forward. "How have you been, Sylvain? Teaching going… well?" 

"Yeah, it's pretty fun. Students never seem to understand that the 1300s were boring and the 1400s are where it's at, but whatever, you can't win them all." 

Dedue coughed. "There were three continental wars in the 1300s. Millions of people died," he pointed out. 

"Right, but we invented the printing press in the 1400s! Books! That weren't just religious! Much more interesting than a war. Or three. Was it four?" 

"If you count the five year peace as a truce and not just a break, four." Dimitri paused. His expression changed a hair — eyebrows furrowing, corners of his lips going down. 

Sylvain swallowed a cheeky comment. "So this isn't just a pleasure visit, is it?" 

Dimitri shook his head. "Dedue and I have been tracking a group of hunters. Powerful ones." 

"Ah. How many?" 

"At least three. Maybe more, hard to tell." Dimitri looked unsettled, which was actually the most disturbing part. "They know I'm following them and they know I'm an Original, so they haven't tried fighting me, but it's only a matter of time before they kill someone who isn't so secure." 

The _someone like you_ goes unsaid, which Sylvain appreciated. He cleared his throat and set the glass aside, suddenly a lot less thirsty. 

"Thank you for telling me. I'll let the other vampires in the area know. What are we looking for?" 

Dedue placed a thick folder on the table. Sylvain didn't know where he was hiding it. Definitely not under his tight black turtleneck or in his khakis. Which, for fuck's sake, how could Dedue make _khakis_ look hot? Dimitri had good taste and yes, Sylvain was a bit jealous. It was only natural. They got to be together for all eternity, none of the stupid pining and losing one another and — 

"Sylvain?" Dimitri sounded concerned. 

Sylvain blinked stars out of his eyes. "Sorry, what was that?" 

For a moment, Dimitri looked like he was going to push further. Sylvain already had an excuse at the tip of his tongue when Dimitri looked down at the now-open folder. 

"... The group of hunters call themselves the Black Eagles. There's many of them across the country, but the three we're tracking are Edelgard, Hubert, and Ferdinand." Dimitri pointed to the correct picture as he said the name. Edelgard was a young woman, surprisingly so, with white hair that gave her an ageless appearance. Hubert had dark hair and a scowl that was powerful even in the surveillance photo. Ferdinand looked like a hipster who surfed and probably argued about Nietzsche while also vaping on the beach. 

Honestly, Sylvain would have pegged Edelgard and Hubert as vampires. There's probably a reason Dimitri does the counter-hunting and not Sylvain. 

"Where have I heard about the Black Eagles before?" Sylvain asked, picking up the photo of Ferdinand. "They're legacy, aren't they?" 

"Yes. Going back to the mid-1300s as far as I can tell. These three come from a family line of hunters longer than my arm." Dimitri finished off his drink. He was eyeing Sylvain's with a red glint beneath those baby blues. 

It wasn't a hard decision to slide the glass towards him. Dimitri swallowed it all in a single gulp. Sylvain tried not to shiver. Dimitri was his friend, had always been his friend, but he was also fucking terrifying. 

"If I see them, I'll steer clear and give you two a call." Sylvain rolled his shoulders. "Other than that, you two want a tour of the nightlife here or something? The zoo isn't open at night but there's usually concerts in the park. Could be a romantic date." 

"We do not require date ideas, Sylvain," Dedue said in a tired tone born of centuries of this sort of a conversation. "If you have suggestions on how to find the hunters, such as where they would stay…" 

"Or how to get around during the day." Dimitri stared at Sylvain. "Without burning to a crisp, of course." 

Sylvain shrugged slow and lazy. "Sorry, secret." 

"One day you'll tell me how you get around during daylight," Dimitri muttered, though he didn't sound all that frustrated. "Or I'll hire someone to sleep with you and seduce it out of you." 

Generally, people offering to get him laid didn't sound that threatening. Sylvain supposed there was a first time for everything. 

"Dimitri," Sylvain said as he toyed with one of the rings on his fingers, "I promise that if I find a way to replicate it that you will be the first to know." 

#

The library was always a bit cold, so Felix kept his jacket on as he headed through the shelves and past the many, many students all cramming for the upcoming midterms. The school semester was in swing and boy was it swinging hard. 

Felix felt lucky in that his grad program just had a bunch of essays and relatively few tests or anything that required studying — besides his thesis defense but that wasn't until spring semester so it was firmly in his mind as a spring semester problem — but he was also unlucky because being a TA meant he had to help all the undergrads who _were_ freaking out. At least the ones who let him help… 

"Annette, I know you aren't sleeping," Felix called over as soon as he was close enough that he didn't have to yell. He was rewarded with Annette sitting up like she was struck by lightning, her eyes out of focus as she squinted in Felix's direction. 

"You're late," she accused. 

"Yeah, last minute rush. But that doesn't mean you can slack off." Felix slid into the chair across from Annette. Her stuff was already spread out and Felix had to push some of it around before taking his notebook out. "Okay, where were we?" 

Annette groaned. "I don't know. I don't even care anymore if I fail. Let me sleep until I'm dead." 

Felix snorted. "Where did you get to last night?" 

"Does it even matter if I know the difference between an oligarchy and a monarchy? Democracy is dead anyways!" 

"You just listed out three different government types and a reason to care about this." Felix crossed his arms. "What kind of government did Russia have at the end of the Cold War?" 

"A shitty one." Annette brightened. "Do you have plans for Halloween?" 

Felix scowled. "Stop changing the topic. What's the difference between an oligarchy and a republic?" 

"One of them is worse than the other. Seriously though, Halloween. Unless TAs suddenly aren't allowed to hang out with us outside of official duties." Annette actually stuck her tongue out at Felix. He stared at her and resisted the urge to do it back. 

"What are three reasons why a government would become unstable?" He asked instead, like a mature TA. 

"Death, taxes, and more death." Annette tapped her finger under her lip. "You know, I bet that you'd make a great clown." 

"I am not going to your Halloween party. I already have plans," Felix lied. 

Annette looked sad, but not crushed. "Aw man. I mean, makes sense. You probably have tons of fun TA parties where you all laugh at the undergrads who are going to fail Intro to Comparative Politics because it's actually a 201 class and not a 101 class." She leaned back in her chair, dramatic hand on her forehead. “You’re killing my vibe, Felix.”

“I’m killing your _what_?” Felix shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. Come on, pull out your notes.” He probably could have foreseen the dramatic sweep of an arm that Annette did, gesturing to all the papers across the table. There was a textbook underneath the mass, presumably. “Okay, well what do you want to start on?” 

“I don’t know. You’re a TA. Don’t you have all the answers. Can’t I just have them?” 

“No.” 

“I’ll pay you.” 

“Not enough.” Felix gave Annette a small smile. “If you get an A on this test, I’ll go to any party you want.” 

Annette gave him a look. “Any party?”

“Unless I have something serious come up. Cross my heart.” He actually did cross his heart, which earned him a grin. 

“Even pirate party?” Annette asked slyly. Felix sighed. He was going to regret this. He already regret this. But he still nodded. Annette cheered. Someone shushed her. “Sorry!” 

Felix shook his head, a smile still on his face. “Okay, so—”

“Semi-presidential system; an oligarchy is controlled by people with resources while a republic is done by a selective voting process or other title; lack of support such as internal rebellion or civil war, outside instability, or economic crisis — did I miss anything?” Annette smiled. She didn’t even look out of breath. 

“Technically not, but you could be more specific in how a government loses stability. Open up your notes to that section — it should be 2.3.” Felix crossed his arms. “So, government legitimacy. What adds legitimacy to a government?” 

“Um, probably a lot of people liking you. I think that makes everything a bit more legit.” 

If Felix didn’t know this was Annette’s way of coping, he’d be much more exasperated. As it was, this was just how every tutoring session went. The two of them were scheduled to study for about an hour and a half, after which Annette had to run to another class. Freshmen, Felix thought, were ridiculous. The soul-sucking college system would drain that motivation soon enough. 

He immediately pulled out his phone and texted Ashe, asking if he knew of any Halloween parties. 

_Yeah, this girl named Annette invited me to her party. Do you want to come too?_ On second thought, Felix could just stay at home. 

#

The night life of any college town was always swinging, especially as Halloween rapidly approached. When one was in college, Halloween was a multi-day event. Maybe a more accurate term would be multi-night event. Regardless, the club scene was on overdrive and the streets crawled with chattering students. 

Sylvain avoided it like the plague, which wasn’t an overstatement — the plague had really been terrible. But he also would rather sit at home and watch a movie with his favorite vampire, though she didn’t know that was her rank in his mind. Ingrid was alternatively his sister or, when he was feeling less charitable, his mom. Either of those were titles she adopted gladly. 

“This is such a bad movie,” Ingrid complained. “Move over, you’re hogging the couch.”

“It’s an extra large couch! There’s an entire other half,” Sylvain pointed out. “Also you picked the movie last time. I get to pick. That’s how it’s been for the last sixty years.”

“And they used to make good movies sixty years ago. Now it’s all special effects and explosions.” Ingrid did scoot over a bit, but did take a bit of the blanket with her so it really was a net zero. “I guess that this is better than the Twilight movies.” 

“Those were great. I’ve never seen a better comedy.”

“You do know those were supposed to be romances, right?” 

“Well, humans never actually have good taste.” Sylvain shrugged as the movie started. He was quiet for about five seconds before saying, “I found another cute—”

Ingrid groaned. “Oh no, don’t tell me. I can guess. Black hair, dark eyes, cute nose? Either an artist of some kind or a writer. Probably a vegetarian—”

“That was once!”

“And human.”

“... He has gold eyes.”

Ingrid grabbed a pillow and threw it at Sylvain. He let it land in his face. It bounced off, resting in his lap. He grabbed it and stuck his tongue out at Ingrid, who rolled her eyes.

“What have I told you about crushes on humans?” 

“Absolutely nothing, as far as my memory recalls,” Sylvain replied. Ingrid sighed. 

“Is he at least interesting? Curious? More than just a pretty face?” Ingrid could have been much harsher with her word choice, so Sylvain would take it. “It isn’t a repeat of, uh, what’s her name…”

Sylvain waved a hand. “No, no, nothing like that. He’s great. He’s a polysci major—”

“You’re flirting with an _undergrad?_” 

“What? No! He’s a grad student. Besides, are you really worried about the age difference? He’s a human. There is no optimal age here. I’m ten times older than his grandpa, if his grandpa is still alive.”

That didn’t seem to reassure Ingrid at all if her expression had anything to say. She bit her lip, the wheels turning in her head. Sylvain could practically see them. He could see her open and close her mouth, the words not quite escaping. 

He leaned back, trying to put on the most reassuring smile he could. “Hey, you know me. Even when I make bad decisions, do they ever really go _that_ bad?” 

“I’m not worried about you dying, I’m worried about him dying.”

_Oh. Well then._

The smile was wiped off of Sylvain’s face. He… wasn’t really sure what to say about that. Ingrid sighed again. Considering neither of them breathed, sighing really was just that much more of an emphasis of how exasperated she really was. They had been friends for… Well, a really long time. Sylvain was used to it. She was used to him. Apparently that didn’t really change much. 

“Humans are nice and fun, but you… get invested,” she pointed out.

“No, I don’t. I have plenty of flings like a good vampire.” Sylvain flashed his fangs. They were retracted but still gleamed in the light from the television. “It’s the teeth. Girls love the teeth. The lack of eating, not sleeping, and general mystery? Less so.”

“But every once in a while, you fall for a guy and… I just don’t like seeing you get hurt.” Ingrid crossed her arms. For a moment, Sylvain was ready to get into an argument, but then Ingrid seemed to deflate. “I don’t want to spend our first movie night in months—”

“You act like that’s my fault, you were travelling across Brazil—”

“—fighting about something stupid. Just promise me that you’ll at least try not to get too invested?” Ingrid asked. 

Sylvain nodded. “Cross my heart.” He made an X on his chest. “Well, hopefully not.” He grinned again. 

Ingrid rolled her eyes. “Tell me more about Mr. Man of the Month.” 

“Okay, so his name is Felix. He’s a grad student doing polysci and he works at a coffee shop—”

“What were you doing in a coffee shop?” 

“I had to meet a student there. Coffee isn’t too bad, you know.” 

Ingrid wrinkled her nose. “It’s so bitter. I don’t know how you keep eating or drinking things. I don’t miss it at all.”

“What was the last thing you ate?” Sylvain asked, incredulous. 

“Probably a roasted boar in 1600? 1650? That whole century is a blur.” Ingrid gestured vaguely. “I was so excited. I thought that my issues were clearly just because I was only eating the gross peasant food and Dimitri — I think he was going by Alexandre or Vanya? Again, it’s all a blur — he invited me to a feast. So I showed up in my nicest dress and with a host of serving girls and everything — a proper lady.”

“Then it sucked?” Sylvain guessed.

“Then it sucked! I thought I was eating dirt.” Ingrid groaned. “It hurts just remembering it. The worst three hours of my life. I think Dimitri was laughing at me the whole time.” 

That sounded like Dimitri. Sylvain was in the colonies in the 1600s, because fewer vampires around made him feel better. Fewer people to track him down. But that was a thought for later. 

“Sucks to suck. Guess I just have better taste than you,” Sylvain teased.

Ingrid snorted. “You can say anything you want, Sylvain, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t full of shit.”

The rest of the night, the two of them teased one another and complained — or enthused — about the movie. Neither brought up Sylvain’s utterly doomed crush an a human who barely even knew his name. It was better that way. 

#

It was cold. Really, really fucking cold and Felix was from the north. He was shivering, though, and wading in snow up to his knees. Instinctively, he hugged his cloak tight across his chest. His lungs hurt thanks to the bitter air. It was the dead of winter, he knew, but he didn’t know where he was. 

Not the city or anywhere on campus, that was for sure. The trees were all wrong — pines and old growth and dark green beneath silver snow. And it was very dark. Felix could barely see past his own nose. If there were stars or the moon, he couldn’t see them. 

This dream, Felix decided, really sucked. 

The next thing he noticed was that his hair was really long. He always had kind of long hair, at least for a guy, but now his hair was all the way to the small of his back. The other thing was that he was waiting for someone. 

No, he didn’t know how he knew that. Just that every single nerve in his body told him that he had to stay here because his life depended on it. 

Felix didn’t have a choice. He waited, the snow threatening to swallow him whole. He tried to pace, but it was difficult and took more energy than it was worth, so he just huddled underneath a tree in misery. 

_It’ll be worth it,_ he thought. _Why?_ He didn’t know.

It wasn’t snowing, which was probably the only reason Felix heard the first growl. A different kind of shiver ran down his spine. Fear. 

The first wolf jumped at him out of the darkness. He pulled a sword from his belt — large, too large, he could barely hold it with both hands, hands meant for books and writing and maths — and lashed out wildly. The wolf was surprised as the blade cut into its side, but the others now knew what to expect. 

Six wolves in total, seven including the one that was injured. Felix was surrounded, his back pressed against a tree. The sword dragged in the snow, but he couldn’t hold it for long. 

_Where is he?_

Felix didn’t know who he was waiting for. 

Another wolf, thin with hunger, leapt at him. Felix hauled the sword up, smacking the beast in the side but not fast enough to cut it with the blade. He spun wildly, trying to go on the offensive, but whether from the cold, exhaustion, or general weakness, he could not force himself to move quickly enough. The wolves just snarled and danced around him, their mouths full of drool at the prospect of a fresh meal. 

Well, Felix wasn't going to make it easy for them, but unbidden he abandoned the sword and tried climbing the tree. There was a low-hanging branch, but it still took two times to pull himself up onto it. The wolves only failed to react out of sheer surprise, though one did lunge at him and snap its jaws around his ankle before he could yank it up in time. 

Felix screamed in pain before his entire leg went numb, save for a throbbing feeling that didn't even hurt. He pulled the mangled remains of his foot up, trying to muffle his crying in his cloak. 

Another person appeared out of the darkness. Bright hair, dark clothes, but Felix couldn't see a face. He could just feel a sense of relief, of happiness, a literal warmth up his body despite the cold. He was safe. 

He woke up soaked in sweat. 

Felix sat up, panting for air and wrinkling his nose in disgust. He had to remember where he was, remember that his shitty dorm was always cold because the AC was on all the time and not because it was snowing. It was still too early for snow.

According to his phone, which was blindingly bright as he fumbled to fix the intensity, it was too early for him to really get ready for his day but too late for him to fall asleep again. _Fuck._ Felix felt like shit and he smelled like it too. 

He groaned and went to take a shower. He might as well get a head start on his day. 

"You look terrible," Annette said when she arrived for tutoring. For once, Felix was early, his things neatly set on the table and his notes prepped for what they needed to cover. "Did you sleep at all?" 

"I'm giving you a glimpse into your future," Felix deadpanned. "Get your notes out." 

"You're so mean," Annette complained even as she sat down. She lounged over the chair, spine turning into a fluid almost with how she sprawled out. "Was it a dream?" 

Felix sighed. This was why he didn't want to be a teacher, but unfortunately he had to pay for grad school himself now. He didn't regret breaking ties with his father, but he did miss the money. 

"I am never going to tell you anything about my personal life ever again. But yes, I had a weird dream and there's no point discussing it because it was a _dream._ Now come on; I know you aren't going to study next week, so we're going to cover more today than last time." 

Annette kept complaining but listened, which was really what mattered at the end. Felix spent the whole time fighting a chill up his spine and the sensation of snow melting on the back of his neck. 

#

“Hey, Sylvain!” Ashe called out as Sylvain walked in. “Same as usual?” 

“Wow, I have a usual? I’m flattered.” Sylvain was already pulling out his wallet, as if he hadn’t been there every day in the last two week. Felix still had yet to actually smile at him, but Ashe liked him well enough. Maybe because Sylvain tipped really well, but he liked to think that he was a good judge of character and Ashe didn’t seem like a money hungry guy. “How are my two favorite baristas?” 

“Suffering through midterms, but excited for Halloween,” Ashe replied. There was a conspiratorial glint in his eyes. That meant he had to have a bit of advice for Sylvain. Either that or he was going to put salt in Sylvain’s coffee. That hadn’t happened yet, but Sylvain didn’t put it above him. Ashe had a bit of a look about him. 

“Nice. What about you, Felix?” Sylvain asked, grinning at him. Now, Sylvain was maybe a bit biased in that he thought Felix always looked handsome as hell and hot as sin, but today… 

Okay, Felix looked a bit rough. The other day, he had looked tired but Sylvain wrote that off as school stress. Today, Felix looked like someone had run him over with their truck. Figuratively. Barely.

"I'm doing what I enjoy best: being left alone and not having to talk with people." Felix turned away but Sylvain could still see the red on the tips of his ears. 

Ashe finished ringing up Sylvain's order. When Sylvain went to put his usual tip in the jar, Ashe muttered,

"Invite him to a party." 

Sylvain glanced at Felix, who was making Sylvain's coffee like his life depended on it. "What kind of party?" 

Ashe had a brief look of despair. "A _Halloween_ party, duh." 

Nodding, Sylvain placed an extra five in the tip jar on top of his usual. He didn't know if Ashe thought he was desperate or just rich, but frankly it didn't matter as long as the advice kept coming. Admittedly, Sylvain wasn’t even sure. 

Once his order was settled, Sylvain went to the side to wait. There was a couple chatting — or rather, one of them was talking, a guy with bright blue hair. His companion, another college student with dark green hair, looked like he was falling asleep. 

“Triple shot cappuccino for Linhardt and a vanilla frappuccino for Caspar?” Felix called out. Sylvain moved out of the way so the guys could get their drinks. He accidentally knocked shoulders with the shorter one and winced. Short or not, the guy was muscular. Soccer? Or maybe boxing. 

“Sorry,” Sylvain mumbled, though he didn’t feel all that sorry after the glare that got leveled at him. 

“Come on, Caspar,” his friend said. The two of them left, but Sylvain couldn’t shake the way the hair on the back of his neck stood straight up. 

“What was that about?” Felix asked as he held out Sylvain’s drink. “You fail the guy last year or something?”

“I’ve never seen him before in my life,” Sylvain replied. He shrugged before smiling at Felix. 

His heart didn’t beat, but if it did, it would be shaking his entire body. Sylvain wanted to cry from how much he just wanted to hold Felix, how he wanted to force Felix to sleep and take care of himself. It was all irrational — Felix was a fully grown adult. Surely he could do what he needed without Sylvan acting like a parent. 

“So, what are you actually doing for Halloween?” Sylvain asked. 

“... Nothing. Why?” Felix crossed his arms but he wasn’t glaring. 

“Well, I have a party we can go to. It’s not on campus, but it’s on the Red Line, so not too far. Plus, we can go thrifting for costumes and call it a date.”

Felix raised an eyebrow. “You want to go thrift shopping as a date?” 

Sylvain gave him a toothy grin. “Don’t underestimate it. Besides, you never know what you can find… and there’s a cute cafe next door to my favorite place.”

A moment passed. Sylvain prepared himself to recover from a denial, but Felix nodded. He pulled a pen out of his apron and scribbled his number on Sylvain’s cup. Sylvain felt light as air, barely able to stop himself from cheering when the cup was held out to him. Sylvain took it and, glancing at the digits, committed the number to memory. 

“Text me. I don’t answer phone calls. I’m not free weekdays or Friday evenings and every third Sunday I have plans.” Felix turned around. “Now get out of my face. I have a job to do.” 

Sylvain chuckled. “Whatever you say, Felix. I’ll text you. By the way, your hair looks great today.” He didn’t linger to see what Felix’s reaction was.


End file.
